Xenock moved Danika down the long passage. The drugs in her system made it hard for her to focus. She’d forgotten about the tunnels under the city. They’d used them during the war, after the outbreak, to get from place to place in the daytime to avoid the human lynching parties.
The smell of the wet, moldy tunnel was only outdone by the dirt and cobwebs that housed numerous vermin and insects. Water dripped from cracks in the ceilings. Dimly glowing candles burned in sconces lighting the way, casting an eerie radiance over piles of trash and debris that littered the walkway. The sound of Chin Lee’s heels clicked on the stone behind her, pounding through the fog in Danika’s head like gunshots. The smile had left the small Asian’s face; she was now all business. The tall bartender brought up the rear, holding an automatic pistol and glancing behind every once and again, as if waiting for something.
Xenock, on the other hand, beamed, oblivious to anything and everything except for Danika.
“Where are we going?”
“To our new home, my dear.”
“I already have a home, Xenock, you know that.”
“You did have a home, but new arrangements have been made, and since that wouldn’t have been your home for much longer, I decided to help you out by saving your life.”
“What are you talking about?” She stopped abruptly, pulling her hand from Xenock’s and almost causing Chin Lee to run into her.
“Lord Garon was planning on having you killed soon after you were mated,” Xenock said with a shrug.
“How do you know that?”
“I heard him say as much few nights ago.” He yanked her forward again.
Her heart sank. Garon had planned to kill her all along to get his hands on her company. She knew he wanted to use her, but not that he wanted her dead.
“And why were you and he in the same place?”
“He was having a conversation with my mentor. They were discussing the technicalities of the arrangement. I must say, to my credit, they didn’t realize I was listening. But then again, my mentor has always underestimated me. You see, he was the one who first gave me the human blood. After you had, well, broken my heart, he took me under his wing. He explained to me that you’d had too much pain in your life and that you were afraid of losing me as well, which was why you had ended things. He told me that I should do anything it took to get you back. That’s why I came to you that night. Unfortunately, you didn’t understand. You belong with me. We’ve been through so much together.”
“My coven will come looking for me.”
“Yes, well, I doubt that, Kitten.” He frowned.
Xenock might be right about that. Except for Chase and Mason and William, she’d kept her distance from most of the other coven members. Doing so might now have cost Danika her life.
Xenock pulled her around another left turn. The passage widened into a larger corridor lined with dozens of branching tunnels. He let go of her hand, and she tried to steady herself against the cavern wall. The fuzziness of the drug was receding. She had to do something, anything, to leave a clue as to which direction he was taking her. Most likely Mason was still standing outside the club trying to figure out how to get in, but she had to try.
Xenock walked to the third tunnel on the right and beckoned her forward.
“I’m not going with you, Xenock.”
“Come on now, don’t be like that, we were getting along so well.” He walked to her.
“You’re sick. Something went wrong when you drank that human blood, and it didn’t get fixed when you were turned.”
The smile wavered on his face. “Danika, you don’t mean that. You’re scared, change has never been your strong suit. But we can be happy together. Wait till you see what I made for you.” He reached to touch her face.
“No.” She slapped his hand away.
For a fraction of a second, she thought he might listen to her, but then his face changed and quick as lightning he struck her, his ring painfully slicing her skin. She staggered back, blood trickling down her chin. She spat blood on the ground. Fury built inside her. She pounced on him, scratching his face, and causing deep gashes to ooze. The blood hit the dirt floor beneath her feet. He reached for her again, but she moved out of the way; Mason’s blood rose inside, strengthening her.
Spinning around, she grabbed Chin Lee and threw her the length of the tunnel, slamming her into the opposite wall. The girl crumpled in a heap, blood seeping out of her ear. Xenock grabbed Danika from behind, but she spun out of his grasp and threw him, as well. He sailed across the cavernous tunnel, but landed on his feet and sprung at her. The sudden movement caused her to sway and she tried to get her bearings. She braced herself for his attack, but a sharp blow connected with the back of her head. She crumpled to the floor, her vision darkening.
“You fool! You could’ve killed her!” Xenock yelled at the bartender.
“I thought she was going to kill you.”
“Kill me? Of course not! She is my mate. She would never do anything to hurt me. She’s passionate,” said Xenock.
He lifted her.
“Are you hurt, my darling? I’m sorry it has to be this way, Kitten. But once we are mated, everything will be like it was between us before.” Xenock pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Fat droplets of blood from her head wound hit the dirt, and as she started to lose consciousness, she hoped it was enough for someone to find.
* * * *
Mason followed the twists and turns of the tunnels, slowing every now and again to sniff the air. The scent was fading, the dirt walls sucking it in like quicksand. He came to another fork in the road and stopped. He breathed deeply, inhaling the musty air. Her scent hit him like a sheet of cold water, but it wasn’t just her scent. It was her blood. His beast raged within, kicking and fighting to get out. He dove to the left and sprinted toward the scent.
They came to a hall full of splintering tunnels and Mason stopped. There were a dozen or more, all leading in different directions. She could be in any of them.
“Mason, over here.”
Mason jogged up a few yards to where William looked at the ground. A dead human lay on the floor. Blood had pooled underneath her head from her nose and her mouth.
“She showed us around at the club.”
“Then we know we’re going the right way.” Mason turned around and looked at the other tunnels. He peered into one, then another, then another; they were all the same. He walked back the way they’d come, staring at the floor for clues.
When he reached the third tunnel on the right, he saw it. Droplets of blood mixed in the dirt. He stepped forward and studied them. They led into the tunnel. He bent down and touched the blood, bringing it to his nose. Several of the droplets were hers, but others were the scent that he had smelled at Danika’s office. He cursed himself. Xenock had been at Danika’s office that night, and Mason hadn’t been quick enough to catch him. If Mason had been in his true form, he would’ve.
“Come on.” He stood and motioned to William. They followed the trail of blood droplets for a hundred yards, but then stopped. Mason searched the area for more blood, but there wasn’t any. Good sign. It meant she wasn’t hurt too badly. They continued to follow the tunnel until it ended. There was a door where the hall narrowed. Mason tried the handle, but it was locked from the inside. He stepped back and kicked. It gave way easily beneath his booted foot.
The door swung into a dusty storage room. Shelves lined the walls, full of old boxes of toilet paper and cleaning supplies that hadn’t been touched in years. There was a door on the opposite end; Mason stalked toward it.
Noises emanated from behind a metal shelf. A vamp crouched over, chewing on something in the corner. When Mason crossed, the vamp turned, red-eyed, and flung himself at Mason. Mason grabbed the vamp mid-leap by the face and crushed his skull into the cement floor. Blood splattered Mason’s face and shirt. William stifled a scream behind him.
Mason stood over the dead vamp’s body. He bent down and wiped the blood from his hands onto the vamp’s dirty, stained shirt.
“How... How did you do that?” William whispered.
“You ask that a lot.” Mason stood and wiped the blood splatters from his face onto his sleeve. He threw open the door and stepped into the room.
It was a large warehouse. Every wall was lined with cages, approximately eight feet high and ten feet by ten feet. Inside, humans were crammed together, twenty to a cell. They were dirty, stank, and looked like they needed food. Mason scanned the room in disbelief. William gasped behind him.
“What the—” William stopped short.
At his words, the humans turned to where Mason and William stood. Before he knew it, all the humans were on their feet, staring at them both.
“Please help us,” a woman whispered.
Quickly the whispers started, “Help us,” “Please,” “Get us out.” “Please help me.” It became overwhelming.
“What is this?” Mason stared at William.
William’s eyes brightened, and his fangs gleamed brightly. “The menu.”
* * * *
“What have you done?” asked a male.
“She’s mine, you said so yourself.”
“I told you that you’d have her.”
“You lied. I heard you, you were going to give her to Garon. And he was going to kill her.”
Danika heard voices, but her eyes wouldn’t open.
“This idiot is your creation? I thought you had things under control. We had a deal,” Garon said in a cold voice.
“I’ll handle this,” said the first male.
Danika recognized it; it sent a chill down her spine. No. Not him. It couldn’t be. Again she tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn’t budge.
“This will end badly. I want no part of it. Our deal is off.”
She heard the shuffling of feet.
“Garon, wait.”
“I am Lord Garon to you. If you make it out of this alive, then I might consider our deal, but not until then.”
Danika heard a door open, then close. There was silence for a minute.
“You fool!” Chase said. “I had a deal in place. A deal that would have given me the company so we could fulfill our vision.”
“You can still have your vision. With Danika here, you can still have the company, and the coven. That’s what you wanted to begin with, isn’t it? That’s why you killed her parents, to fulfill your vision. We can do it without him.”
“No, we can’t. I needed him to run the coven. To keep them in line while I changed the world. The coven doesn’t respect me the way they do her. Now they’ll come looking for her. They’ll suspect me. We have to return her before she awakens. She has a head wound, and she’s been drugged, anything she says she saw can be played off as a dream.”
“No. You said she was meant to be my mate. And I can’t go back. They think I’m dead.”
“I know, Xenock, I know.” Chase lowered his voice. “But we have to take her. Before she awakens.”
“She’s mine,” Xenock roared.
Danika managed to get her eyes to open in time to see Xenock fly at Chase. Chase side- stepped him, but Xenock flew at him again. She couldn’t quite focus on what was going on. Xenock and Chase’s fight spilled out onto the level below.
She sat up shakily. She was in a bedroom of sorts, but the walls were cinder block painted a moldy green color. Florescent lights hung low overhead, an office of some kind. Danika swung her legs to the edge of the bed and pulled herself up by one of the four posts. Her head began to clear from the haze of having a gun butt smack her skull.
As the fog lifted, panic arose. The room was an old office of a warehouse. It had been converted into a small living quarters. There was a bathroom attached to it, a sitting area, and the bed.
She moved to the door and looked out at the factory floor below. Hundreds of dirty vamps milled about, watching Chase and Xenock fight. Where had they come from?
Two doors waited below. One about twenty yards from her, and the other all the way on the other side of the building. She opted for the closer one, hopping over the railing and landing on the cement floor below. She wobbled only slightly. The drug was wearing off. Chase struck Xenock with a hard blow to the face. Xenock spun and landed on the floor. He looked up, his eyes widening in surprise.
She took off in a sprint toward the exit. It was locked. Xenock and Chase yelled behind her. She took a step away and kicked with all her strength. The door splintered at the jamb and swung inward. She slammed the door behind her and pressed her weight on it. Someone slammed into it from the other side. She searched frantically, trying to find something to keep it shut.
Chase yelled while beating on the door, “Nika, open the door, dear. This isn’t what you think. I found you and was trying to get you out of this place. Let me help you.”
“Not freaking likely!”
It was the wrong response. Both of them beat on the metal. She pressed herself into it hard, but with each of their shoves, it gave a little. Mason’s blood in her system was the only reason they hadn’t broken in yet. A hand shot around the door and grabbed at her. She shoved with her shoulder and heard Chase’s arm snap.
He cursed loudly and the arm disappeared. Xenock pounded and kicked at the door. The snarls and growls of the rogues on the other side told her they were helping him fight to get the door open. It was a matter of minutes before they broke in.
A noise came from the other side of the room. A heavy wooden bookcase full of papers and books tipped forward then settled back. Her heart sank; someone was breaking through. A cry escaped her lips. She was trapped.
She watched helplessly as the bookcase rocked. With one great shove, the bookcase toppled forward and hit the ground with a crash. Dust flew into the air, surrounding her and causing her to cover her mouth and nose. A coughing fit ensued and her eyes watered as she blinked rapidly trying to clear them. A huge male stood in a small doorway behind the now-downed bookcase, surrounded by several other figures.
She let out a scream and the figure from the doorway rushed toward her. She felt his panic as he swept her into his protective arms. The heat of his body radiated through her. Mason. She clung to him. He held her tight, kissing her hair. Behind him, half a dozen men rushed in. It was William, Neeman, and several of the Tracking Squad.
“Get her out of here.” Neeman’s gaze was icy. Xenock and a group of rogues pushed the door open. In the forefront was the bartender from Trade House, with an automatic weapon.
“No, I don’t think so,” said Xenock. “You see, she belongs to me.”
* * * *
“Put her down, human,” Xenock spat.
Mason’s temperature rose, his beast clawing its way up. The skin on his back stretched, ripping his shirt.
“I won’t ask again,” Xenock said. “Put her down, or die.”
Mason set Danika on her feet and pushed her behind himself. His fingers cracked and popped, elongating.
“Everyone back in here,” Xenock commanded.
Mason stalked forward, forcing the rogues onto the warehouse floor. Xenock and the vampyr with the gun backed out as well. Rogues milled about everywhere. Some sat in the corners, huddled together. Most were like rabid animals, grouping together in packs, pushing and snarling to get a closer look at the visitors.
“Danika, darling, why don’t you come stand by me? It is much safer here, I assure you.” Xenock smiled.
“Over my dead body!” Neeman yelled.
Xenock turned his gaze on Neeman. “Why, Neeman, how are you? Long time no see. Still suffering from the same delusions that you had the last time I saw you? Still think you can win her back? Sorry, friend, but she and I had long conversations about you, and I can tell you that—”
“Xenock.” Danika stepped from behind Mason. “That’s enough.”
Mason reached for her. He would die before he let her go again. The moment his hand touched her skin, a rogue sprang forward like a trained attack dog. Mason grabbed the rogue by the throat and broke his neck. The diversion was all it took. Quick as lightning, Xenock grabbed Danika, pulling her to him. Mason howled with rage. His muscles shifted as the beast within him clawed his way loose.
“Let her go,” Mason said, his voice quiet. “I promise you if you don’t, you won’t like what happens.”
Xenock laughed bitterly. “Me, human? I think it’s more likely that you won’t like what’s about to happen. My coven members haven’t fed in a while, and I promised them a meal tonight. They don’t have a very discerning palette, so any human or Vampire will do.”
“Xenock, think about what you are doing.” Neeman moved to stand beside Mason and pressed a large knife into his hand.
“Oh, I have been thinking. Waiting, planning, all for the moment when I’d claim her as mine. The moment I awoke from Chase’s bite, it was all I thought of. And now she is here, and she’s mine.” Xenock planted a soft kiss on Danika’s cheek.
“She’s not yours. She’s destined to be so much more than the mate of a crazed vampyr,” Mason spat.
“Oh, she isn’t, is she? Well, I’ll change that this second.” With a flash of fang, Xenock bit down into Danika’s neck.
She let out a cry and before he moved, the hungry vamps surrounded Mason. The gunman fired, and Ian hit the ground, blood pouring from a hole ripped through his shoulder. Neeman ran to Ian, pulling him into the small storage room.
Three vamps were on William in an instant. Mason swung the heavy hunting knife and cut the head off one. William broke the neck of the second. The third Mason threw into a charging group of vamps, knocking them down like bowling pins.
He scanned the room for Danika. She struggled against Xenock while he pulled her across the warehouse by her hair. She kicked hard and Xenock let go of her momentarily. She got a step away before he tackled her. The two wrestled on the ground, with Xenock trying to get Danika to drink from him. Another pack rushed Mason; Neeman was back at Mason’s side. As the group took down the first volley of rogues, more replaced them. There were too many, and the Tracking Squad was overwhelmed.
“Get Danika, and get her out of here,” Neeman yelled, crushing the skull of a female vamp. “I’ll take care of Xenock.”
Mason scanned the fray. Ian had returned, and he and William fought side-by-side. William was limping and he had a bite mark on his shoulder. There was no way they were going to make it out of this with Danika. Not unless Mason did the thing he hadn’t done in more than five hundred years. He took a deep breath. She was worth it, whatever the cost.
“No,” Mason said. “You get Danika. I’ll take care of Xenock.” Neeman locked eyes with Mason and nodded. Mason stripped his shirt off and bared his chest. Neeman called to the other trackers.
“Keep them away from Mason for one minute,” Neeman yelled.
“Only one,” Mason yelled in reply. “Then get out of my way.”
He moved toward the door they’d come through. His blood had risen to lava heat level in anticipation of what was coming. He let the rage flow through him, keeping his eyes on Danika as she struggled against Xenock’s hold. Xenock’s blood dripped onto her face.
Mason stared down at the runes on his chest. They glowed white hot against his skin.
“I call upon Bael, Lord of the Underworld. I call on Diablo, the Lord of Death. I call on Samael, the Lord of Pain. And I call upon Mephisto, the Lord of Destruction. I am Maelstrom, son of Mephisto, and heir to all. I assume my true form, and call upon the power that is within me to bring forth my father’s work upon this lesser plane.”
The fire took over. The beast laughed with delight. Then the pain hit. The runes burned in his chest, making him let out a blood-curdling roar. He was oblivious of everything else as his skin ripped and tore from his back. His inky black wings flexed and lifted from the human skin to which they had fused, spreading ten feet in either direction. His mind went blank.
* * * *
Danika was losing strength. It was all she could do to keep Xenock’s blood out of her mouth. He chanted as he pinned her to the floor. Ancient words that he thought would bind her to him and make her his. She brought up her knee straight into his groin, making him grimace and stop. Taking the advantage, she pushed him off her, flipped to her feet, and scanned for Mason. Neeman and the others stood in a semi-circle, hungry vamps pummeling them. Then she heard a terrible laugh and a roar that shook the ground.
Everything stopped moving, and she saw him. Mason stood in the middle of the semi-circle. His runes blazed like sunlight, he narrowed his gaze upon her. Black wings, exactly like his tattoos, burst from behind him, growing and pulsing with life. They unfurled and stretched to their immense width.
His bone structure shifted. His pants ripped as he grew larger and larger. His skin deepened to a charcoal gray, and his eyes burned with orange flames. His incisors lengthened down to his chin as his hands grew three times their size, tipped with claws longer than her hands. Just when she thought he was done, the skin parted on each temple and black, sleek horns curled down his cheeks and up over his jawbone.
No one moved. Mason let out another terrible roar and then his hands caught fire. It was impossible. He couldn’t be... There hadn’t been any for hundreds of years. But there he was, and there was no denying it. Mason was a demon.
Terror flooded her, and the scar on her chest warmed until it burned. She clutched her chest, breathing rapidly. His blood sang in her veins. His rage permeated her being. She finally understood. Mason was rage. He was destruction. Fire shot from his hand into a group of rogues, killing several and setting a dozen more on fire. He laughed, deep and hearty. The air around her popped and sizzled with heat.
Mason threw another fireball, and another group of vamps fled from him. The screeches and shrieks of the victims filled her ears. The smell of charred flesh made her cough and gag. The vamps backed as far away from Mason as they could. Over and over, Mason threw fire at them, killing them off in groups and laughing as if it were a sporting event.
“Stop,” Xenock said.
He stood wide-eyed with terror, watching Mason destroy the rogues. Part of her wanted to reach out to Xenock, to try and save him from himself. She was too paralyzed with fear.
“Stop,” Xenock said, louder. “Stop it! Stop!” he yelled over Mason’s laughter. Mason turned.
“Puny vampyr. I thank you for this.” Mason motioned to all the dead rogues. “For too long I’ve been caged. But now, your hatred, your rage has set me free to do what I was born to do. To destroy.”
Xenock’s eyes narrowed. “You’re an abomination, and I shall kill you for this insult to my coven.”
“Anger, good.” Mason smiled, revealing a large set of sharp teeth. “I feel the anger; it’s like mine.”
Xenock rushed him, slicing at him with his nails. But Mason was close to ten feet tall, and Xenock’s attempt merely scratched the outside of Mason’s left thigh. Mason swatted him, throwing him across the room. Xenock sailed past Danika and hit the wall with a crash.
“Stop!” Danika shouted.
Mason laughed louder as Xenock stumbled to his feet and ran at him again.
“Ooh, spirit. I like that.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Xenock spat, his fangs bared.
“Let’s give that a try,” Mason goaded. Lifting a finger, Mason laughed, beckoning Xenock forward. She felt his elation at the freedom. His emotions flowed into her like wine. His total bliss at the killing and the destruction he doled out was overwhelming. The feelings were so primal. It wasn’t Mason.
Xenock ran at Mason, pulling a knife from his waistband. Mason swung his arm to knock him down, but Xenock ducked and stabbed him in the thigh instead. Mason howled in rage, then rotated around, dealing Xenock a powerful blow with his right wing.
Mason pulled the knife from his leg and threw it at Xenock. Xenock rolled to his side and the knife missed his head, lodging in the floor behind him. He had just gotten to his feet when Mason plucked him out of the air by the throat.
“Too bad you’re so weak, I would’ve loved to add your anger to mine with you as my slave.” Xenock’s eyes went wide. His pale skin glowed brighter and brighter until it darkened and turned to coal. Danika watched in horror as the form that had been Xenock took a last breath and crumpled to the floor in a pile of ash.
Mason turned to the remaining vamps cowering together in the corner. “You’re the abominations. You are the vermin of this world, and must be cleansed.” Mason let forth balls of fire in every direction. Rogues screamed and ran in hysteria.
Danika felt a tug on her arm and she turned; William pulled on her, his eyes tired and fearful.
“We have to go,” he said.
Danika blinked; none of this could be real. Mason wasn’t killing all those vamps with balls of fire. Neeman appeared out of the fray, rushing her toward the exit. They’d almost made it when heat prickled Danika’s neck. She dropped to the ground, pulling Neeman and William with her. A fireball whizzed over their heads and hit the door with a bang, cracking and destroying it.
“Where are you going?” Mason laughed. “You Vampires are not too good for the wrath of Maelstrom.”
Danika rolled over and flipped to her feet. Her blood boiled with rage. Mason had thrown a fireball at her. She stalked forward, but Neeman was up and grabbed her by the arm.
“Stop. You can’t help him.”
Danika looked up at Neeman. “He can’t hurt me. Go, get William to safety.”
“I’m not leaving you here with him,” Neeman said.
Danika laid her hand on his cheek. “You’re a good man, and someday you’ll find a mate who will love you the way you deserve. I hope I’m there to rejoice with you in that time. Mason is my mate. I bring him home, or go with him to his. Either way, I’m not leaving without him.” Then she leaned in, kissed his cheek, and turned to face Mason.
Neeman let go of her arm and she walked forward, her determination set. The ashes and bones of the dead crunched beneath her heels. Mason smiled at her, his pointy teeth beckoning her to her death.
“Ahh... So they sent a morsel to sate my thirst. So sweet, you smell so sweet,” he purred. He stopped and his eyes narrowed. “You’re familiar to me.”
She walked till she was within thirty feet of him. His black form stretched before her. His blazing runes glowed against the blackness that was his skin. Her stomach quivered at the sight of him, but not in fear.
“Mason,” she said. “I know you can hear me.”
He laughed a mirthless laugh, and quick as light, flew to within a foot of her, lifting her off the ground by her throat. His hand was like fire on her skin, but it didn’t burn her. He pulled her close and sniffed her hair.
“You smell delicious; to taste a blood such as yours will be a rare treat.”
“Mason.” She stared into his burning eyes. “I know you don’t want to hurt me.”
“My name is Maelstrom, and you cannot begin to know the things that I want to do to you.”
Danika’s resolve wavered as he licked her neck and purred in satisfaction. She saw a flash of teeth and then he cried out in pain.
Mason had a small hole above his collarbone. He howled in rage, and then his free hand caught fire. He was preparing to throw a fireball when she grabbed him by the horn and pulled his lips to hers. She kissed him with force. His body was hotter than ever. At first he stood there, but after a minute he responded to her. He wrapped one hand around her waist, and with the other he held the back of her head, pressing her into his chest. His hot, slick tongue plunged into her mouth with force. She kissed him with abandon, her hands running the length of his horns. Her mind willing him to remember her as her fangs burst forth in her mouth. His razor-sharp teeth cut into her lips and tongue. Her blood mixed in their mouths and a rumble escaped his chest.
A moment later, he pulled away and plunged his fangs into her neck. He drew blood from her in gulps. Pain shot through her, causing her to cry out. She clawed at his shoulders, his thorny wings cutting into her hands.
“Mason,” she gasped. “Mason, stop. Mason...please... Remember me.”
His teeth tore into her flesh. Blood bubbled into her mouth and dripped down between her breasts. It became hard to breathe.
Neeman fired again and again, but Mason kept drinking. Her vision dimmed until she heard nothing but a dull buzzing in her ears. A tear leaked out of her eye and she drew in a ragged breath.
“Maelstrom, I love you.”
* * * *
Maelstrom saw everything going on around him, and it all felt so good. Like he’d been reborn. The rage, the fire, the killing, all of it, he’d kept down inside him. It was what he was and he’d denied it too long. Killing the vamp rogues had been an act of cleansing to this world, and the foolish Xenock should have joined him instead of trying to kill him.
Maelstrom drew the rich cool blood in as he held the female Vampire close. She tasted so sweet, his perfect blend of richness. Blood that he deserved to feast upon. But there was something familiar about it, something that sparked the back of his mind. Her breathing slowed as a tiny bullet ripped through his shoulder; it was nothing compared to the pains he’d suffered in his life. Another bullet hit him in the leg and a third in his arm.
He roared at the group of Vampires and threw a fireball. The group ducked into the other room. The female Vampire lay limp in his arms. Her body splayed before him, her red hair cascading down the back of his hands. Her shirt had ripped open revealing the tops of her breasts. The chill of her skin seeped into his fingers; her porcelain complexion taking on a bluish color as her life ebbed away.
Pity. She would’ve been a delight to taste over and over. And the way she’d kissed him. He imagined the pleasures her body could’ve held. His eyes traveled down her body, as another bullet struck him in the side. He tossed another round of fire. His gaze came to rest on a glowing scar above her left breast. He stared, confused. The scar matched his own rune.
Her words sank into his head, as her blood, like cool water, doused his flames. “Mason, remember me.” They rang through his head like a bell. And her last words, “Maelstrom, I love you.” He studied her face more closely, and it all rushed back to him.
“Danika,” he whispered. Mason clawed his way up for control, beating the beast into its cage. Setting her on the floor, he knelt beside her lifeless body. What had he done?
“Danika. Danika, wake up.” She moved like a rag doll at his touch, her skin frosty. Her head lolled to the right exposing the gash in her neck where he’d ripped into her. The beast whimpered at the sight. They’d done that to her. Together, they had killed her.
Lifting her head, he used a long claw to rake a cut into his own wrist. He held the wound over her mouth and let his blood flow into her. She didn’t move, she didn’t stir at all. Little by little, the rage left him as her blood cooled and soothed him inside. His wings folded and melted into his human skin. His claws retracted and his incisors disappeared. His bones shifted into their soft human form.
His blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth. He tried to close her lips, forcing her to swallow, but nothing happened. He scooped Danika up into his arms and held her close. Neeman and William stood nearby. His temper flared, flames rose from his hands and arms, and they took a step away.
The flames licked Danika’s face and hair. The rune on her chest glowed as bright as his. Its light flickered and faded until it became a normal scar.
“Danika! Danika!” Mason yelled. She didn’t respond. Looking up at Neeman and William, his eyes clouded with tears. They stared at him in shock. This was his fault. He’d done this to her. His animus materia. The one he’d been searching for his whole existence. His other half, the one made to help his human form control the beast within.
No! He was not letting this happen.
Setting her down, he pulled down her shirt, exposing her scar. He placed his hand over it, closed his eyes, and hummed the ancient tune. Locating the magicks inside him again, Mason raised his head to the sky.
“Mother Earth and Mother Sky, I command thee to do my will. Take from me the payment due and give back what was ripped away. Let my blood flow and my magick spill. Let mine be hers, and my life I give for her.”
Mason’s hand glowed brighter until a pulsing cord bound his hand to her chest. His runes shone and tendrils of magick flowed down his arm. Her body heaved under his palm and he watched as his power flowed into her. Sparks of magick surrounded them. He felt a pull and the inner part of his soul burst from his ribcage and floated toward her. Even his inner beast seemed pleased to give a piece of himself for her. After a minute, his runes dimmed and the magick ceased. He searched her face for signs of life then pulled her close, breathing into her hair.
“Come back to me,” he whispered.
Mason’s body was wracked with sorrow the likes of which he had never felt before. She was gone and nothing else mattered. With her gone, he might as well decimate this whole plane of existence. Flames rose from his hands and arms until it covered his entire body. He pressed her closer and heard a quiet choking noise. She gulped down the blood in her mouth, and took a deep breath, trying to open her eyes. Relief washed over him as he pressed her into his hard chest.
“Danika, Danika, stay with me.”
Their eyes met, and she lifted her hand to touch his face. He kissed her soft fingers before she wound them into his hair and pulled him down to her, kissing him. He cocooned her against him, the fire rising over his whole body. It flowed over her skin, wrapping her in its warmth. They held each other, kissing and caressing.
Mason released her from his lips and stared into her eyes. The flames on his skin died down and then extinguished. Her eyes were completely orange now. The flames within them matched his own.
“You’re mine,” he said.
“Now and forever,” she smiled.
* * * *
Danika felt warm on the inside for the first time in her life. Mason’s face held gentleness as he stared at her.
She scanned the destruction Mason had caused. No. Not Mason. Xenock and Chase. This had been their doing.
“You did the right thing,” she said.
“Killing is never right,” Mason replied.
“You’re wrong. Murder is never right. What you did saved thousands of lives.” She smiled up at him, then looked at the small group that waited nearby. Mason helped her up and she went to Neeman and William.
She looked over William. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” He stared at her.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
His gaze traveled to Mason. “No.”
Danika nodded. The men eyed her.
“I’m going to want this building demolished as soon as possible.”
William looked to Neeman but said nothing.
“What?” she asked.
“There’s something you need to see,” said Mason from behind her.
“I’ll lead the way.” Neeman refused to meet her eye.
Danika and Mason followed. William and the rest of the trackers pulled up the rear. They stepped over the fallen bookcase and door into a narrow hallway. When they reached the end, Neeman stopped.
“This won’t be easy to see,” he said.
“What is it?” After what she’d just seen, she couldn’t imagine anything worse. Neeman turned the knob, pushed open the door, and the light poured in from the room beyond. She was wrong. There was worse.
Neeman stepped to the side. What she saw made her sick. Rows upon rows of bunk beds were stacked five high. On each bed lay a comatose human.
She wandered to the first bunk on the left. It was a woman in her mid- to late-twenties. The woman was pale and motionless against the white sheets and white blanket. Like sap dripping from a tree, blood trickled out of the tube in her arm into a collection bag. The bag then emptied into a large container that all the tubes on that set of bunk beds were connected to. On the side of the bed was a sign. Danika stepped closer to read it.
It had the age of each human, the date they were collected, and their blood type. Each bunk bed system had the same blood type. Danika looked down at the other tube. It fed a clear liquid into the human female. It was a human blood factory.
“How did I not know about this?” She turned to Neeman, her mind numb. She couldn’t process the scene.
“None of us knew.”
“But this is my city, my coven. I’m supposed to know everything that goes on here. How did I not see what Chase was doing?” She leaned against the wall with her head in her hands. “I was so blind. All the times he said he was checking on holdings, checking warehouses, leaving town to check on business assets, I never once questioned him.”
“You can’t blame yourself.” Mason stepped forward. “No one imagined he was doing this. He must have been doing this for years.”
Danika looked up at his words. “Years?” She tried to remember what Xenock had said. “That’s why he killed my father. My father must have found out what he was doing.” Anger and disgust coursed through her. “We have to stop this! We must wake them up.”
“We tried,” William said. “Once unplugged, they bleed out within minutes.”
“We don’t know what Chase did to them, but whatever system he is using, it’s very sophisticated,” said Neeman. “It may take years to figure out, or never.”
Danika hit her head against the wall. This was going to end badly for her. She couldn’t leave the humans in a coma for the rest of their natural lives. It was wrong.
“There’s nothing we can do about this at the moment.” Mason pulled her into him. “And we have another problem that requires our more immediate attention, I’m afraid.”
“No.” Danika pushed away from him. “I can’t take anymore.” She should have him wipe this awful building from the face of the earth.
“You can. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. And you have me now. Together we can get through this.” He kissed her. His kiss made her stomach quiver for more. He laughed in her ear. “Later my love, later.”
Danika took a deep breath and pushed away from him again. “All right, show me,” she said. Mason took her by the hand and led her to yet another door. Danika heard whispers and crying. She looked at Mason questioningly, and he pushed the door open.
“Ah, crap,” she said in exasperation.